Charmed: The Next Generation A futurefic
by Baby Halliwell
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves....now complete.
1. Default Chapter

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Introduction:  
  
Wyatt Halliwell knew he was different since the day he was born. He was the son of A Charmed One and a whitelighter. He was powerful. But poor little Wyatt had a secret that only I know. Because of all the whispering about him turning evil and the fear he saw in his parents faces, he hated to use magic. Wyatt actually grew up fearing his powers. He vowed not to use magic unless it was unavoidable.  
  
Wyatt's younger brother Chris, on the other hand, had no problems with magic. He was talented as a witch, but no where near as powerful as Wyatt. This fact was a great annoyance to Chris and caused many a fight between the boys. Unlike Wyatt, Chris prefered to be in the spotlight. He loved attention.  
  
Where this particular tale begins, Wyatt is seventeen, Chris is fifteen, and I am twelve. I should explain. My name is Penny. I too am the child of a Charmed One, Phoebe. My father, Jason Dean, left my mother long ago. I've never known him. I too have inherited the powers passed down to the witches in my family. I have premonition and levitation powers, just like my mother.  
  
Chapter 1: A Not So Ordinary Day  
  
The Kitchen Of The Halliwell Manor:  
  
We sat there eating our breakfast just like every other day. But the three of us knew something was about to happen. We could feel it. I exchanged excited glances with my cousins Wyatt and Chris. It was something big. Too bad we had lessons to study. Most of our day would be spent pouring over Auntie Piper's Potion Basics booklet. She was adamant about us learning the ways of witchcraft. Even though it was summer and all other kids our ages would be outside playing ball or stretched out in front of their televisions, we would be stuck in the stuffy attic of our home studying under the watchful eyes of Auntie Paige.  
  
I finished my cereal and placed my spoon in the bowl. Auntie Piper had already left for work, as had my mother. Auntie Paige was awaiting us in the attic. I could tell my cousins didn't want to go up there anymore than I did, but it was time. We couldn't stall any longer. After putting our dirty dishes in the sink, we headed for the stairs. We exchanged excited whispers as we ascended. Chris grabbed my arm. "Did you see it? What's about to happen?" I shook my head. "No prems yet.", I whispered back. Wyatt was behind us, lagging as usual. But even he was excited. "It might be something bad you know." Chris and I giggled. "Who cares?" Chris whispered. "Anything is better than studying." Wyatt nodded, but he was concerned. It was written on his face.  
  
In the Halliwell Attic:  
  
Auntie Paige was sitting at her desk against the far wall. The attic had become a makeshift classroom. She loved teaching. At the Magic School, she taught the younger children. So working with us in the summer was a challenge. She did her best to drill witchcraft into our minds as Auntie Piper had done to her long ago.  
  
Auntie Paige looked up as our little trio entered the room. She smiled at us. "Good morning." We smiled back and offered a less than cheerful greeting. I went to my desk as the boys went to theirs. My little pink notebook was lying there. I was afraid to open it. I always had plenty of comments on my spell writing. Usually not good ones either. I flipped it open to look over yesterdays work. To my surprise there was only one comment, written in blue ink this time. 'Definitely an improvement.' I looked up at Auntie Paige and smiled. She smiled back. Maybe she didn't hate me after all.  
  
Our lesson began. Potion making was dull and I couldn't help yawning several times. I noticed Wyatt and Chris weren't very successful at hiding their boredom either. Auntie Paige stood before us making a list of ingredients on the chalkboard next to her desk. I couldn't pay attention. It was hot and uncomfortable. I kept wishing that whatever we'd felt would happen at that moment, so we could stop.  
  
Suddenly I felt it happening. A premonition. I was pulled into my vision. I saw the hall downstairs. I saw my mother hit by an energy ball. She fell to the floor and landed on Auntie Paige who was already on the floor. I just knew they were both dead. Then I saw Auntie Piper in the clutches of a huge angry beast. His fist enclosed her throat. She didn't even have a chance to scream. She was dead too. He tossed her to the ground like a rag doll. The beast and a tall man in a black robe stood side by side laughing over the bodies of my beloved family. When the premonition ended I let out a terrified scream and fainted.  
  
When I awoke, I was lying on the floor and Auntie Paige was kneeling over me pressing a wet cloth to my forehead. I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach when I remembered the premonition. It was horrible. I couldn't let that happen. I tried to sit up, but that caused my head to swim and I had to lie back down. "It's alright Penny. Just rest a minute." I nodded and looked around the attic. Wyatt was pacing nervously by The Book Of Shadows. I couldn't see Chris. I hoped Auntie Paige hadn't sent him to bring my mother home. "Penny? What did you see?" Auntie Paige needed to know. They all needed to know, but how could I explain it?  
  
At that moment Chris orbed into the attic with my mother. She flew to me and cooed over me like I was a baby. All the while she was reading my emotions, I could feel it. It was like a chill running down my spine. She held my hand and I saw tears in her eyes. "What was so awful Penny? What did you see?" Looking up at my mother's face so etched with concern, I couldn't lie. "Mom, can we talk in private? Just you and me?" Thankfully Mom agreed. Chris helped me up and I went down to Mom's room with her.  
  
In Phoebe's Room:  
  
I sat down on Mom's bed and she sat next to me. She took my hand and waited for me to explain my premonition. I stared down at the floor and said it straight out. "I saw a beast like thing and a man in a black robe kill you and Auntie Piper and Auntie Paige." There was nothing but silence for a long time. I couldn't bear to look up until I felt Mom's hand squeezing mine. Her face was contorted in pain. She was crying. I didn't really know what to say or do. I just threw my arms around her and buried my head in her neck. I cried into her shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry Mommy" over and over.  
  
When we'd finally stopped crying, Mom looked at me with an air of determination. "We aren't going to let that happen Penny. We'll find a way to stop it." I nodded. Once again she was the mother I knew. The great Phoebe, Charmed One extraordinare. "Do you remember what they looked like? The man and the beast you saw?" I nodded again. I had a photographic memory. Mom pulled me to my feet. "Let's get going then. I'll fill the others in and you can search the book." Mom went looking for the others, who had probably congregated in the kitchen. I went back to the attic.  
  



	2. The Charmed Ones Are No More

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Chapter 2: The Charmed Ones Are No More?  
  
The Halliwell Attic:  
  
I, Penny Halliwell-Dean, stood in front of The Book Of Shadows, carefully turning the pages in search of the evil creatures from her premonition. So far I didn't see anything resembling the beast. The only thing in the book that looked like the man, was The Source and that wasn't possible. The Charmed Ones had vanquished The Source a long time ago. I was getting frustrated. If I couldn't find them in the book, we might not be able to stop them.  
  
Wyatt came into the attic. Dear Wyatt, my best friend. Even though he was much older than me, we shared everything. I was more like his sister than his baby cousin. He paced nervously. "Penny?" I snapped the book shut. Three times I'd gone from front to back and found nothing. "What's up Wyatt?" He stopped pacing and stared at me. "We aren't going to stop it." I couldn't believe my ears. "What are you saying?!" I screamed at him. He looked down at the floor. "We can't stop it. I saw it in a dream. If we try to stop them, they'll kill us too." Unbelievable! Wyatt was having premonitions now and he didn't tell me! "Wyatt. We have to try. We can't just stand there and let them kill our family!" Trying to reason with Wyatt was like trying to talk to a moose, but I tried. Wyatt took me by the shoulders. "We can't Penny. It's too dangerous. Promise me that when it happens, you'll hide." I shook my head. "No! I won't!" Wyatt shook me a little. "Listen to me Penny! I don't want you to be hurt! Just do what I say. You and Chris have to hide. I'll try to save them." I finally consented, but in the back of my mind I was planning to fight. It was my family too and I wasn't going to let them go!  
  
In The Halliwell Kitchen:  
  
Wyatt and I joined the others in the kitchen for lunch. Even in the midst of out family crisis, Auntie Piper had made something for us to eat. I sat down and poked at my sandwich. There was no way I could eat. I glanced around. No one else seemed to be eating much either. Uncle Leo had been called. He'd orbed in and gotten the story and then he had gone 'up there' to see what the Elders might know.  
  
Everyone was nervous. We had no idea how much time there was before the evil creatures would attack. We could only hope we had enough time to figure out what the wanted. I studied my mother's face. I felt sorry for her. She was feeling much more than the rest of us. How could she handle it? She must be feeling Wyatt's fear and Chris' fear and mine. Add that to her own fear and it should be enough to drive her insane, if not kill her. But she sat there with barely a crease in her brow. She was strong, my mother. She noticed me watching her and reached out to me. She held my hand and smiled. "Everything will be ok Sweetie. I promise." Those words didn't comfort me. My premonitions were never wrong.  
  
I could feel the pull again. Another premonition. I tried to fight it. I didn't want to see. But it broke through. I saw Chris running up the stairs with me in his arms. I could tell I'd been hurt badly. Half way up the stairs Chris turned to look back and I could see the beast was right behind us. Chris orbed just in time to save us from being crushed by the beast. The premonition ended and I nearly fell off my chair. It was so much stronger than before. I looked up at my mother and she was in a state of panic. She'd been holding my hand the whole time. She'd seen my vision, shared my premonition. And she was scared.  
  
Uncle Leo orbed in just then. He said the Elders didn't know anything about these mysterious creatures. Big surprise. The Elders didn't seem to know much these days and if they did, they rarely said anything. We were on our own.  
  
The Halliwell Attic:  
  
It was getting late and we were all tired. Wyatt, Chris, and I sat together on the couch near the attic window. For once there was no petty fighting, no teasing, nothing at all going on between Wyatt and Chris. They simply sat there on either side of me like tin soldiers. Auntie Paige and Auntie Piper were once again pouring over The Book of Shadows. Uncle Leo and my mom were at one of the desks whispering over some other book. My eyes felt heavy. I was so tired I could barely think. It was a bad time to fall asleep, but I couldn't help it. It had been an exhausting day. I snuggled into Wyatt's side and closed my eyes. Wyatt would keep me safe. I fell asleep to the sounds of my family chattering. I wish I'd memorized that moment. For it would never happen again.  
  
I awoke to hear crashing and screaming coming from somewhere else in the house. It was still dark outside. Wyatt and Chris were nowhere to be seen. I was all alone in the attic. I jumped up and ran down the stairs. I knew this was it. It was happening. When I reached the second floor I met Wyatt in the hallway. He shoved me into his room and locked the door on me. Chris was sitting on the bed. He looked up at me with the saddest expression on his face. "Come on Chris! We have to go!" I grabbed Chris' hand and he orbed us out of the room. We ran for the stairs but stopped halfway down them.  
  
Auntie Paige was lying face down on the floor. Auntie Piper was already in the clutches of the beast. The man in the robe was facing my mother. She was fighting him as best she could but I knew it was no use. He threw an energy ball and it hit her. She fell to the floor on top of Auntie Paige, exactly as I had seen in my vision. Auntie Piper was thrown next to them by the beast. They were all dead. I fell to my knees sobbing.  
  
Wyatt was now facing off with the beast. He had Excallibur in his hand. The sword was said to be undefeatable. I jumped back to my feet and wiped my tears away. I looked at Chris and he looked at me. We had the same thought. We had to stop the robed man before he could kill Wyatt too. Chris held me back and whispered. "You stay here." He ran down the stairs and threw everything he had at the robed man, but wasn't even injuring him. In fact he was laughing at poor Chris. Wyatt wasn't having much luck with the beast either. He was successfully evading his grasp, but couldn't seem to hit him with Excallibur.  
  
I looked back to Chris and saw the robed man about to throw an energy ball at him. Without even thinking I ran down the stairs and jumped in front of Chris. The energy ball hit me in the shoulder. Pain ripped through me like white hot lightening. Blackness surrounded me and I fell to the ground. I felt Chris pick me up and run. I knew we were heading up the stairs and then I felt the familiar tingle of Chris orbing us somewhere. That was the last thing I remember before I passed out. 


	3. Ghostly Guidance

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Chapter 3: Ghostly Guidance  
  
At Magic School:  
  
I awoke in my room at Magic School. For a moment I thought maybe I'd dreamed the whole nasty event. Maybe my mother and aunts were still alive and well at home, waiting for me and my cousins to return from school. But as my eyes focused I could make out the figures of my beloved cousins Wyatt and Chris comforting poor Uncle Leo. Dear Uncle Leo, what pain he must be in. He'd lost the love of his life.  
  
I sat up carefully. I was wearing different clothes. Someone had obviously dressed me. And my wound was healed. Uncle Leo must have taken the time to heal me before collapsing in grief. "Wyatt?" My voice was shaky. The three men...yes Wyatt and Chris were men now...turned to me. Wyatt rushed to my side. "Are you ok Penny?" I nodded, trying to take on my mother's rigid strength. "They're dead, aren't they?" It was all I could say. The tears were welling up. Wyatt nodded. He was close to crying too. I resisted the urge to throw my arms around him and cry in his shoulder like a child. I wasn't a child anymore.  
  
Swallowing hard, I got up from the bed. "And the creatures?" Chris picked up The Book Of Shadows. He must have gone back for it. It was open to a page about The Source. Chris could see my confusion. He explained. "It's him. He somehow returned more powerful than ever. He completed his ultimate goal. He killed The Charmed Ones, but he has a new goal now. He wants us gone too. Wyatt wounded him, but we couldn't vanquish him." He gave me a moment to take in that information before flipping to another page. Balthezor. I knew that page well. I'd studied it many times after catching my mother staring at it. She had loved him. Well, she'd loved the human form of that demon. Chris went on with his explaination. "The beast is Balthezor. He's changed too. Become stronger, bigger. Too powerful for a simple vanquishing spell." Basically what I got from that conversation was that we were screwed.  
  
Later That Day In Magic School:  
  
I was left alone in my room for a while. Chris and Wyatt had gone to the library to see if they could find anything there that might help us. Uncle Leo had orbed off somewhere to be alone. I sat on my bed, thinking about my mother. I missed her face, her laughter, the smell of her perfume. Growing up without my father had been tough, but Mom had been my strength. She had raised me with enough love for two parents.  
  
The Book Of Shadows was still lying on my desk. I remembered that there was a spell to summon a ghost. I wondered if it would work, if I could summon my mother.  
  
The candles were arranged in a circle. I lit them all carefully and recited the spell. Nothing happened. My legs folded under me. I fell to my knees. I screamed out between my sobs, "Why! How could you let this happen!" I didn't even know who I was screaming at. The Elders. God. Whoever was responsible. I hated them.  
  
Small glowing lights appeared. At first I thought it was the candle light being refracted in my tears. Then I saw a form begin to materialize. "Mom?" I wiped my tears away so I could see better. It wasn't her. It was a woman I didn't know. There were pictures of her in an old album in the attic. No one had ever told me who she was and I never had the guts to ask. The woman became solid. She stepped out of the candle circle and pulled me up. Her dark head was just about level with mine. Her blue eyes sparkled with something I can't explain. She was beautiful and most definitely a Halliwell.  
  
The woman's hands held my shoulders and she looked deep into my eyes. "You have to be strong Penny." More confusion added to my muddled mind. She smiled. "Of course I know your name. I've been watching over you you're whole life." I nodded. I'd felt her sometimes, but I'd always dismissed it. "I have much to say and very little time. Come." She pulled me gently to my bed and we sat down. She took my hand. "My name's Prue. I'm your aunt. I died a long time ago. Before you were born." That made sense to me. She continued. "You and Wyatt and Chris are The Charmed Ones now. You have to take over the family destiny. I know it's hard because you're so young, but remember you are never alone. We are all with you. Always." Those words were comforting and suddenly I could feel what she was telling me. I could feel my mother, Auntie Piper, Auntie Paige, and many other Halliwell's within me, around me.  
  
Prue kept going. "Wyatt is powerful. He's a leader, but he's afraid. You have to help him to accept his destiny." I nodded again. "And Chris needs help to find the source of his greatest power. He has many powers that remain hidden because he's jealous of Wyatt and careless with his magic." That certainly made sense. I could help him and so could Wyatt. "And you Dear Penny, are powerful too. You have already learned about your premonition and levitation powers, but also you have powers that haven't been discovered yet. Find them and help the boys to harness theirs. When you've done that, you will truely be The Charmed Ones. And you will be more powerful than any coven before you, even more powerful than your mother and Piper and Paige and I were." This was hard to accept. Prue wanted us to vanquish the demons that killed our parents.  
  
Prue held out a small silver necklace to me. I took it and looked at it. It was engraved with the name Phoebe. "She sent it to you. To remind you that you are strong because you are her daughter, because you are a Halliwell." Tears filled my eyes once again. Prue hugged me. "My darling niece. You're journey will be hard, but don't despair. Whenever you need me, just call." She let me go and stepped back into the candle circle. The candles all went out at once and Prue disappeared. "Thanks Prue." I whispered. Then after thinking for a moment, I slipped my mother's necklace around my neck and whispered, "Thanks Mom."  
  
I stood up and wiped away the last tears I would ever shed. I was strong. I was Phoebe's daughter. A Charmed One. A Halliwell. It was time to follow my destiny. My little twelve year old body shook with a mixture of fear and excitement. Wyatt, Chris, and I had work to do. Training to complete. Evil to vanquish. 


	4. Witches In Training

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Powers: Penny: Premonition, Levitation, Telepathy, Freezing Wyatt: Orbing, Shield, Controlling Excalibur, Astral Projection Chris: Orbing, (more powers later)  
  
Chapter 4: Witches In Training  
  
In The Gymnasium at Magic School:  
  
Wyatt, Chris, and I had been training for 2 weeks. We took martial arts training from a teacher named Mr. Ellis. We learned to dodge energy balls quite well. Today we are to have a new teacher. Her name was Fara. She was some sort of psychic. She was to help us find our hidden gifts.  
  
We sat on the floor awaiting Fara's arrival. She was late. Teachers were rarely late in Magic School. I wondered what could be keeping her. The door swung open and Fara walked in. She was tall. She wore a long black robe that hung to the floor and a hood that covered her head and nearly hid her face. She didn't look like a teacher. In fact, she looked like a demon.  
  
Fara walked over to us without saying a word. We were too stunned to speak. We merely sat there and stared at her. She pushed her hood off revealing a long mane of curly red hair. She knelt in front of us and took a good look at each of us in turn. I was the first. Her blue eyes bored into mine. She nodded her head and said, "Uh-huh." Then she looked over Chris and shook her head. "You're going to be a tough one." When she looked at Wyatt her face went blank. Then she got a puzzled look. "I can't read you. You must be truly powerful." Wyatt just stared at her. I'm not sure if he was afraid of her or if he was being defiant.  
  
We had little time to study Fara, she put us right to work. First she set Chris to doing some exercises in telekinesis. He'd never shown any talent in that area, but she assured him it was one of his powers and he must learn to use it. She sent Wyatt to a corner of the gym by himself to work on harnessing his latest power, astral projection. He'd discovered he could do that earlier in the week.  
  
Fara sat down on the floor with me and held my hand. She told me that she was going to help me find another of my powers. She told me to close my eyes and let my mind drift. I didn't see much point in this, but I wanted to please my new teacher, so I did it.  
  
At first I felt silly. It felt weird to sit there with my eyes closed holding the hand of a stranger. Then I felt something. It was sort of like the feeling I got before I had a premonition, but it was different. It felt magic flowing from her hand and into me. Then something amazing happened. Not only could I tell what she was feeling, I could hear what she was thinking! "You've done it!" Her voice nearly shouted inside my head. I couldn't contain my excitement. "This is so cool!" She laughed. I think it was only in her head, but it could have been out loud. It's hard to tell when you're connected like that.  
  
Fara let go of my hand. I opened my eyes to find her smiling at me. "This is only the beginning Penny. You are very powerful. You have so much magic. I don't think there are many witches more powerful. In fact, Wyatt may be the only one." I smiled. It felt good to be special. But deep inside I was also afraid. Magic had killed my family. I didn't want that to happen to me.  
  
Wyatt joined us. Well, his astral form did. I jumped when he appeared behind me and yelled, "Boo!" "Wyatt! You scared me to death! Don't do that!" Fara laughed. "I think you have a handle on Astral Projection. And we know you canorb and form a shield around you and you are proficient with Excalibur. You have two more tasks you must complete before your training is finished Wyatt. You have to let go of your fear. And you have to learn to lead." Wyatt's face fell. He didn't like to be in the spotlight. He didn't want to lead. Fara must have read his thoughts. "You have to lead Wyatt. Your brother and your cousin need you." Wyatt nodded, but I know he was secretly hoping Chris would turn out to be the leader.  
  
Chris soon joined us. He was frustrated. "I can't do it!" Wyatt and I sat down on the floor. Our lesson for the day was over. Fara took Chris by the shoulders. "You can do it Chris. You are a great witch. You let your emotions get in the way. Take a moment to clear your mind and then I'll help you." Chris took a deep breath and then another. "Okay. I'm calm now." Fara nodded. "Penny, I need your help with this." I jumped up. This should be interesting.  
  
I was instructed to stand across from Fara about 20 feet away. She then sent Chris to the other side of the room. "Ok Chris. The only way you are going to learn to use telekinesis is if it's an emergency. I want you to use it to save Penny." Now I was a little worried. Save me from what?  
  
Fara pulled a dagger out of her robe and threw it at me. Chris screamed and tried to move it. Nothing happened. In terror, I threw my hands up and turned my head away. I waited for the sharp sting of the blade but nothing happened. I turned my head back and saw the dagger frozen in mid-air. I was shocked. Who had frozen it there? Fara? Wyatt? Chris? I glanced around the room. Wyatt and Chris were as shocked as me, but Fara had a huge grin on her face. "So you have yet another talent Penny." Wyatt grabbed my arm. "You froze the dagger Penny." I reached out and pulled the dagger out of the air. I had inherited a power from Auntie Piper. Cool!  
  
Later That Day In Chris' Room:  
  
Chris and I sat on his bed. Chris was reading a book Fara had given him on telekinesis. I watched him, deep in thought. Could I read his mind too? I had to know. I placed my hand on Chris' arm. Suddenly I could hear everything that was going on in his head. He wasn't really concentrating on his book. He was listening to Uncle Leo giving Wyatt the 'Be A Man, Take Care of Your Family' speech. Chris was thinking how ironic it was that his father was giving Wyatt that speech, when he himself had essentially left his family to be an elder.  
  
Chris wasn't aware I was reading his thoughts. He couldn't hear mine, so he must not have this gift. It was mine alone. I let go of Chris and turned to watch Uncle Leo and Wyatt. Uncle Leo had gotten to the part where he was trying to convince Wyatt that he could take charge. Poor Wyatt. He hated disappointing his father, but he would never be a leader. I knew it and so did he. He just didn't have it in him.  
  
Uncle Leo stood up after finishing his speech. He'd already heard about Wyatt learning to Astral and that Chris was working on telekinesis. He came over to me and quickly hugged me. "And what about you Penny? Learn anything today?" I nodded. "I can read people's thoughts when I touch them." Uncle Leo smiled. "That's an advancement of your premonition power." I wrestled with whether I should tell him that I froze the dagger. Keeping it from him wasn't going to make it better, so I told him. He sat there for a moment. Then he asked me to prove it. I had Chris throw his book up. I froze it. Uncle Leo patted my shoulder. "You learned to control it much faster than Piper did." I'd made him sad. I whispered. "I'm sorry Uncle Leo." And then left the room. He didn't follow me. He missed Auntie Piper. He said the Elder's wouldn't let him have contact with her spirit or my mother or Auntie Paige. It was all so unfair. Uncle Leo was dead too. They should be together. 


	5. Chris Finds His Powers

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Powers: Penny: Premonition, Levitation, Telepathy, Freezing Wyatt: Orbing, Shield, Controlling Excalibur, Astral Projection Chris: Orbing, Telekinesis, Shape Shifting  
  
Chapter 5: Chris Finds His Powers  
  
Over the next few months, Chris and I spent every minute we could in the gym practicing. More often than not, Chris sat in a corner and watched me practice my martial arts. I'd gotten pretty good, but Chris and Wyatt were better. They were already nearly blackbelts. Wyatt preferred to train alone. He snuck down to the gym in the middle of the night to practice. In fact, Chris and I rarely saw Wyatt during those months. And if he did appear; he didn't talk. Chris still hadn't found his powers. He didn't think he had any.  
  
In Penny's Room At Magic School:  
  
I sat on my bed with my notebook. I was working on a plan. A plan that would help Chris find his powers and force Wyatt to lead. The plan was taking longer than I thought. There were lots of things to take into consideration. But it was nearly perfect. One more day and I'd put the plan into action.  
  
My door flew open and Chris bounded in. I slipped the notebook under my pillow. "Hey Chris." Chris grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "You have to see this!" Chris dragged me down the familiar hallways. We stopped in front of the gym. Chris motioned for me to be quiet and opened the door.  
  
Wyatt was standing in the center of the gym with Excalibur pressed to the throat of another boy about Chris' age. Wyatt's voice echoed through the gym, "Is there anything else you want to say about my cousin before I cut your vocal cords?" The frightened boy shook his head. Wyatt pulled back the sword. He was really going to cut the boy. I wanted to shout for him to stop, but I was in shock. This wasn't the Wyatt I knew. I turned to Chris and saw that he was terrified as well. I raised my hands to freeze Excalibur, but I remembered that it wouldn't freeze.  
  
Suddenly Chris was standing in front of me with his hand raised. His finger pointed at Wyatt or Excalibur, I wasn't exactly sure which one. The sword slowly moved away from the terrified boy and rose above Wyatt's head. The boy ran from the gym. Wyatt was staring at Chris in disbelief. Wyatt had always been described as the most powerful and yet Chris had managed to take Excalibur from him. Excalibur flew to Chris' hand. Wyatt held out his hand, trying to call his sword back. But he couldn't seem to pull it from Chris' grasp. Chris was telekinetic. And he hadn't needed my help to figure it out.  
  
Chris started to taunt Wyatt. "Who's the most powerful Halliwell now brother?" Wyatt's anger became apparent. He stormed toward Chris. Chris actually swung Excalibur at Wyatt, but missed. The sword fell to the ground and was forgotten by both boys as they wrestled each other to the ground. They were going to kill each other. "Uncle Leo!!" I shouted. Hoping that he would sense my distress and come. He hadn't orbed to see us in a long time. Nothing was happening. Uncle Leo wasn't coming. I left Wyatt and Chris there fighting and ran to my room. I had another idea.  
  
In Penny's Room:  
  
I threw the candles into a circle and lit them. I recited the summoning spell as fast as I could, adding, "I need you Prue" to the end. Prue appeared. "Wyatt and Chris are going to kill each other!" She stepped out of the candles. I grabbed Prue's hand and drug her to the gym.  
  
In The Gym:  
  
Prue used her powers to separate my cousins. She sent them flying to opposite sides of the room. They were both bloody and bruised. "What is wrong with the two of you?!" I shouted. They both struggled to their feet and stared. It took me a moment to realize, they didn't know who Prue was. Prue turned to the boys. "If you two are through trying to kill each other, I have something to tell you." The boys and I followed Prue back to my room.  
  
In Penny's Room:  
  
After the introductions were made, we sat down to talk. I could tell there was something wrong and Prue was hesitant to tell us. Chris and Wyatt shot each other hateful looks as we waited for Prue to begin. At last she did. "You have to stop fighting with each other. The time is nearly here. The Source has regained his former position as leader of the underworld. He'll be sending Balthezor and other demons to destroy you." Wyatt stood up. "So what? They can't hurt us here. Magic School is protected. That's why Uncle Leo sent us here after...." His voice trailed off. Prue continued. "Yes you are protected here, but they will hurt others to get to you." I was confused. "Hurt who? There's no one left." Prue shook her head. "That's not true."  
  
Chris had been silent this whole time, but he finally spoke. "It's Dad isn't it?" Prue nodded. "He's missing. We think he might have been kidnapped." Chris' shoulders fell. "Now we really have no one." Wyatt stormed over to his brother and slapped him across the face. "Shut up Chris. I'm tired of you. We have each other and we'll find Dad. Start acting like a man." Chris was shocked. So was I. Wyatt had never spoken to anyone like that before.  
  
Prue laughed and we all turned to see what was so funny. "You didn't need your plan Penny. Everything is happening as it was supposed to. Chris has found his powers and Wyatt has learned to lead." I laughed at that too. Soon we were all laughing. When we stopped I thought about Chris for a moment. "Prue, Chris only found one of his powers. Telekinesis. Just like you." Prue shook her head. "He found another." Wyatt and I turned to Chris who was grinning from ear to ear. "I was going to keep it a secret, but since you know..." Chris changed form before our eyes. He became the spitting image of Uncle Leo. "You're a shape shifter!" Wyatt shouted. Chris morphed back into himself. I hugged Chris. "Very cool!"  
  
Prue hugged us all and stepped back into the candle circle. We blew out the candles and she disappeared. Chris ruffled my hair. "Why didn't you tell us you were talking to her?" I shrugged. "She only came once before. I didn't think to tell you." Wyatt headed out. I called after him, "Good night Wyatt." Chris kissed the top of my head. "Night Penny." I patted his back. "Night Chris." Chris left closing the door behind him.  
  
I pulled my journal out of its hiding place and wrote. "Prue says the time to fight The Source is near. We are stronger now and we are pulling together, but I don't think we're ready." I put the journal away and changed into my pajamas. I flicked off the light and climbed into bed. I didn't think I would be able to sleep, but I drifted off within seconds. 


	6. The First Battle

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Powers: Penny: Premonition, Levitation, Telepathy, Freezing Wyatt: Orbing, Shield, Controlling Excalibur, Astral Projection Chris: Orbing, Telekinesis, Shape Shifting  
  
Chapter 6: The First Battle  
  
In Penny's Room At Magic School:  
  
Rain poured down, pounding the roof and pelting the windows. It made so much noise I couldn't go to sleep. I kept thinking about Uncle Leo. Where could he be? I tried calling him in whispers. "Uncle Leo?" "Uncle Leo?" The second time I called a bit louder, but there was no answer. Uncle Leo wasn't coming.  
  
I felt a premonition coming. I really didn't want it to happen, but I was too tired to fight it and besides it might be something important. I saw Uncle Leo sitting at a table in P3 alone drinking. It looked like he was crying. He called out "Piper!" Then I saw Balthezor appear behind him with a darklighter's crossbow. An arrow flew at poor Uncle Leo who didn't have a chance to orb. He fell to the floor screaming in agony. Balthezor leaned over Uncle Leo and whispered, "Now you'll be with your beloved Piper. You should thank me."  
  
When I came out of the premonition, I could barely breathe. Without hesitating I scrambled out of my bed and ran out of my room. I almost flew through the hallways until I reached Wyatt's room. I stood outside for a moment. Then I burst in without knocking. Wyatt was sitting at his desk. He turned to me. "Penny! What's wrong?" "It's Uncle Leo. Balthezor is going to kill him. We have to go now!" Wyatt jumped up. "Go get dressed. I'll get Chris."  
  
I ran back to my room and threw on jeans and a tee-shirt. When I came out of my room, Wyatt and Chris were waiting for me in the hallway. Wyatt threw a black leather jacket at me. I knew it was Aunt Piper's. "Put it on. It'll be cold." I put the jacket on. "So what's the plan Wyatt?" Wyatt shook his head. "I don't have one. We just go to Dad and warn him. That's all we can do for now." I shuddered. "What about Balthezor?" Chris pulled Excalibur from behind his back and handed it to Wyatt. "This should kill him. We just have to distract him so Wyatt can get close enough." Suddenly I got a brilliant idea. "Chris, you can shift into Uncle Leo. Then Balthezor will be confused. Then I can freeze him and Wyatt can kill him." Chris nodded. "Sounds good to me." Wyatt agreed. The three of us held hands and orbed to P3.  
  
At P3:  
  
When we arrived at P3, Uncle Leo was sitting at the table just as I had seen. He called out for Aunt Piper. Chris ran to Uncle Leo. He was about to tell him what was going on, when Balthezor appeared. He aimed his bow at Leo. Chris quickly shifted so he looked exactly like his father and grabbed his hand, orbing them both to the other side of the room. Balthezor stared at them both, unsure which one was which. I raised my hands to freeze Balthezor. He didn't freeze. I hadn't thought he would be that powerful.  
  
Balthezor turned to me and laughed. "Silly child. You are no match for me!" He raised his hand and sent me flying into a wall. I managed to struggle to my feet. Wyatt yelled to Chris, "Orb Dad out of here!" They orbed just in time to avoid one of the arrows. Balthezor was now concentrating on Wyatt. Wyatt sliced at him with his sword, but couldn't seem to hit him. Finally giving up before the beast could reach him, Wyatt ran to me and grabbed my arm. He orbed us back to Magic School.  
  
Wyatt's Room At Magic School:  
  
We all gathered in Wyatt's room. Uncle Leo had passed out on Wyatt's bed. Chris shifted back to his own form. "At least we saved Dad." Wyatt was entering our new discovery into The Book of Shadows. He snapped the book shut and stared at Chris and me. I was still shaking from our ordeal. Chris rubbed my back. "Does it hurt?" I shook my head. "I'm fine." That was a lie. My whole body was throbbing, but I had to be tough. Wyatt went to the window. "We need help or we're never going to be able to vanquish Balthezor, let alone the source." It was time to call Prue again.  
  
We went to Chris' room so we wouldn't disturb Uncle Leo who was still sleeping off the alcohol. We lit the candles and said the summoning spell. The swirls of light appeared, but I sensed that our visitor wasn't Prue.  
  
When the form appeared, we were all too shocked to move or speak. It was Auntie Paige! This was definitely against the rules. How did she come? Auntie Paige stepped out of the candles and became solid. "Aren't you going to give me a hug? Some nephews and niece you guys are!" I laughed and jumped up into her arms. It felt good to have her hugging me close again. She kissed my head. "My big tough nephews. Too grown up to hug your poor Auntie?" Wyatt laughed and gave her a quick hug. Chris slowly got up. I could see tears in his eyes. Auntie Paige had always been his favorite. She had understood him better than anyone else. He nearly knocked her over when he threw his arms around her. He sobbed like a little girl. "I'm so sorry Auntie Paige. We tried to save you, I swear." She hushed him. "Poor Chris. Shhh....it's ok. It's not your fault."  
  
When all had calmed down, Auntie Paige explained. "The Elder's know that you are having a terrible time with what has been put on your shoulders. They sent me to help." Wyatt looked like he might cry. "Why didn't they send Mom?" Paige touched his arm. "It would be too painful for you to say good bye to her again when she had to go back. That's why they couldn't send her or Phoebe. Prue was called off on another case, so they decided to send me. It'll be hard for you to let me go, but not as hard as if it were you're mothers."  
  
It was so unfair to send Auntie Paige to us and not let us see our mothers. I sat at Auntie Paige's feet with my head on her knee. "How are they?" Auntie Paige patted my head. "They miss you all and they are afraid for you. But they are ok. You don't need to worry. They are watching over you." Chris got up from the bed. "No offense, but how are you going to help us?" Auntie Paige smiled. "I'm going to find out what I can about Balthezor and The Source's new powers. Then I'm going to prepare you for battle." She broke into a huge grin. "I'm going to really make you the Charmed Ones." 


	7. Becoming The Charmed Ones

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Powers: Penny: Premonition, Levitation, Telepathy, Freezing Wyatt: Orbing, Shield, Controlling Excalibur, Astral Projection Chris: Orbing, Telekinesis, Shape Shifting  
  
Chapter 7: Becoming The Charmed Ones  
  
In Penny's Room At Magic School:  
  
It took Auntie Paige a whole day to do her research. Chris, Wyatt, and I spent the day in our rooms. I was too nervous to meditate as Auntie Paige had suggested. I walked back and forth in my room for hours. At last there was a knock at my door. Anxiously I opened it.  
  
Wyatt was standing there with a huge grin on his face. "Auntie Paige says she found the secret to destroying Balthezor and the Source. Come on." I followed Wyatt to the library where Chris and Auntie Paige were waiting.  
  
In the Library at Magic School:  
  
Auntie Paige sat across from Chris at a table. Wyatt and I took our seats. Me beside Chris and Wyatt beside Auntie Paige. There were two books on the table. One was The Book of Shadows and the other was an older book I didn't recognize.  
  
Auntie Paige pushed The Book Of Shadows to the middle of the table. "There's something I have to ask you before we start. Have the three of you stood around the book together." We nodded. Paige continued. "Did the triquitra on the book glow?" I shook my head. Paige nodded. "That's what I thought. You have your powers, but you haven't learned to work together yet. You aren't really The Charmed Ones until you're connected as one."  
  
I looked at Wyatt. I realized that I hadn't been confident in his ability to lead. I trusted him now. He'd proven to be strong and fearless, yet he was concerned with our safety. I smiled at Wyatt and patted his shoulder. When I touched him I could hear him thinking about how his conflict with Chris was keeping us from defeating the evil creatures. That would be difficult for both of them to let go.  
  
Chris was staring at Wyatt. It seemed as though he was thinking the same thing. They needed to work on their relationship as brothers in order to become stronger witches. I myself had to let go of some issues I had with Chris. I'd always been afraid of his recklessness with magic, but now I could see that he was a powerful force of good. My fears had been unfounded.  
  
At that moment, Chris reached across the table and held his hand out to Wyatt. Wyatt grasped his brothers hand. Chris spoke first. "I've always been jealous of you brother. I'm sorry. I love you." Wyatt smiled. "I was jealous of you. You weren't afraid and I envied that. Lets put it all behind us. I love you Chris."  
  
As that last word was spoken, Auntie Paige gasped. "Look at the book!" We all looked. The triquitra was glowing light blue, like the color of orbs. Paige remarked. "It's never glowed that color before." We all laughed. We were The New Charmed Ones. Nothing would be the same as before.  
  
Several Minutes Later:  
  
Auntie Paige opened the other book she had in front of her. "I have learned a lot about the Source and Balthezor. Balthezor is more powerful, but he has a definite weakness. If you can keep him still long enough to stab him with Excalibur, he will be vanquished forever. There's a spell in this book to freeze time." Auntie Paige flipped through the book until she found the right page. "Ok, here's what you need to do. You need to make a circle with this potion (she held up the bottle) and stand in the middle of it. That way when you freeze time, you won't freeze." I took the bottle from Auntie Paige and studied it. It was a purple powder and it had little crystals of something green in it.  
  
"What about The Source?" Wyatt asked. Auntie Paige flipped to another page. "There's a spell here to open a portal to a barren dimension. I think that's our best bet. You just have to come up with a plan to get him into the portal." She pushed the book into the middle of the table so we all could look at the spell. It wasn't complicated. But how would we get The Source into it? 


	8. The Second Battle

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Powers: Penny: Premonition, Levitation, Telepathy, Freezing Wyatt: Orbing, Shield, Controlling Excalibur, Astral Projection Chris: Orbing, Telekinesis, Shape Shifting, Healing  
  
Chapter 8: The Second Battle  
  
In Chris' Room At Magic School:  
  
We were preparing for the big battle. It was time to take out Balthezor and the Source. We donned our gear and Auntie Paige began her little pep talk. "Now make sure you are inside the protective circle before you summon Balthezor. He won't be able to touch you unless you step outside of it. Got that." We all nodded. She had been telling us that all day. She continued. "Once you say the time freeze spell, only Wyatt should leave the circle. Now, remember Wyatt; you have to stab Balthezor through the heart to vanquish him. Take your time and aim. He won't unfreeze until you say the spell backwards to re-start time." Wyatt stood holding Excalibur. Suddenly a picture from an old book flashed into my head. Wyatt at that moment looked just like Kind Arthur. Wyatt smiled at Auntie Paige. "Don't worry. We're ready."  
  
Auntie Paige hugged each of us. Wyatt first and then Chris. I saw tears in her eyes when she hugged me. "Penny. Be careful. Don't leave the circle no matter what. Promise?" I nodded. Auntie Paige was acting weird. She kissed the top of my head. One last look at us and then she disappeared. (We would only see her once after that day. She was sent off somewhere to be a whitelighter for someone else. Prue would return to us shortly, but that's not important at this point of my story.)  
  
Chris, Wyatt, and I held hands and orbed together to P3.  
  
At P3:  
  
We had chosen P3 because it was secluded. The club had been empty for a long time and there was no chance of us being caught. And the demons certainly wouldn't expect us to use it as our base of operation.  
  
Chris and I made a circle with the powder from the bottles Auntie Paige had given us. The three of us stepped into the middle of it. We pulled out the papers that held the words that would summon Balthezor. Wyatt had Excalibur drawn and was ready. I glanced at each of my cousins and recieved a nod from them both. No turning back now.  
  
Together we chanted the summoning spell. Balthezor appeared and he was boiling mad. He growled and hissed as he circled us. Several times he swiped at us with his mighty hand and was shocked by our protection shield. He even tried to throw an energy ball at us, but it fizzled into nothing at the edge of our circle.  
  
Chris grabbed my hand and I grabbed Wyatt's. We chanted, "Evil must be stopped. Time must still. Bring the world to a halt. It is our will." The mighty Balthezor stood a few feet from us frozen solid. The entire world was quiet around us. It was eerily still.  
  
Wyatt cautiously left the circle and stepped up to Balthezor. He raised Excalibur and sank it deep into the demon's heart. Then something unexpected happened. Balthezor's form began to burn. The flames grew higher and higher until I was afraid the ceiling would catch fire. Wyatt had stepped back just in time. When the flames disappeared Wyatt reached out to pull Excalibur from the singed demon. The handle must have been hot, for Wyatt screamed in pain and fell to his knees.  
  
Our plan quickly went to hell. I ran from the circle to Wyatt's side. I fainly heard Chris yell, "Penny No!!!" But it was too late. There had been a reason that only Wyatt was allowed to leave the circle. The world unfroze quite suddenly. Balthezor unfroze with it. His mighty hand swooped down and knocked both me and Wyatt across the room. My mind went blank as I fainted.  
  
Several minutes later:  
  
I woke up to the sound of Chris sobbing. "Please don't die Penny, Please." I opened my eyes. Chris was leaning over me. His hands were floating just above my head. I looked up and saw an odd blue glow coming from them. It took a few minutes for me to realize that Chris was healing me. Chris could heal! The shock of that brought me around. I practically jumped off the floor and into my cousin's arms. We laughed together and hugged.  
  
Wyatt came back into the room after having been somewhere else. He had a bandage around his hand, but he seemed otherwise unhurt. He smiled down at his little brother and me. "Well kiddo, you gave us quite a scare." I looked around the room. There was a big black mark on the floor where Balthezor had been. "Is he gone Wyatt?" Wyatt confirmed that he was. We had been successful in our mission, even if we were a little beaten up. Chris reached up for Wyatt's hand. "Let me heal that for you." Wyatt pulled his hand back and shook his head. "I'll wear my battle wounds with pride. You can only heal me if it's life or death." Chris and I rolled our eyes. Our wimpy older cousin suddenly wanted to be the tough man. It was hard to see Wyatt that way. He'd always been my best friend and now he was more like my father. Very unsettling.  
  
Back At Magic School:  
  
We sat in Chris' room with Uncle Leo (who had now completely recovered from his drunkenness) and recounted the tale of our battle. I sat and listened to Chris tell of how after Wyatt and I had passed out, Balthezor had come after him and he had managed to use his power of telekenisis to shove the sword farther into the beast's heart causing him to erupt in another bought of flames and explode. Balthezor was gone for good.  
  
After listening to our tale. Uncle Leo had one of his own to tell. He had clipped his wings. He was no longer and Elder or a whitelighter. He was human. Wyatt, Chris, and I all agreed that we wouldn't let him give it up for us. We were strong. We would be fine on our own. After much begging on our part, Uncle Leo agreed that he would go back in one week. After we had vanquished The Source and were safe.  
  
That night I had little trouble going to sleep. I was drained from the battle. Today Balthezor, tomorrow The Source. That was my last though before falling into a deep dreamless sleep. 


	9. Taking Out The Source

Charmed: The Next Generation (A futurefic)  
  
Please note: I don't own any Characters from Charmed, but I've added a few of my own to this story.  
  
Summary: Told through the eyes of Penny Halliwell-Dean, Phoebe's daughter. The Charmed Ones are killed by a powerful force of evil leaving their children to fend for themselves.  
  
Powers: Penny: Premonition, Levitation, Telepathy, Freezing Wyatt: Orbing, Shield, Controlling Excalibur, Astral Projection Chris: Orbing, Telekinesis, Shape Shifting, Healing  
  
Chapter 9: Taking Out The Source  
  
Classes had started again at Magic School. Wyatt, Chris, and I had been excused from classes until our mission was completed. The school was bustling with other witches. We were careful not to tell anyone of our plans. It had to be a secret in case The Source had a spy in the school.  
  
We gathered in the gym everyday for exercises and to work on our plan to vanquish The Source. Prue appeared there with us each day. She had been officially assigned to us as our whitelighter. And of course we were always under the watchful eye of Uncle Leo, who had taken to brooding in the corner. He wasn't happy about his sons or his neice being in danger.  
  
In The Gym At Magic School:  
  
Prue stood before us. She was explaining the portal that Paige had described. Once we opened it we had only a few minutes to get The Source into it before it would close. We were still unsure how to do this without getting killed. I had suggested freezing time as we had when we vanquished Balthezor, but Prue said it wouldn't work. The portal would also freeze.  
  
Uncle Leo watched us like a hawk from his corner. The look on his face was hard to read. I had a feeling there was something he knew that he wasn't saying. I left our little group with a wink to Prue. She knew I was up to something and so she just let me go. She continued talking with Wyatt and Chris as I sat down beside Uncle Leo. "Uncle Leo, are you ok?" I tried to make it seem like I was just making small talk because I was bored. Uncle Leo nodded. "I'm fine Penny." I moved my hand slowly until it just barely touched his arm. "Are you sure?" I began to hear his thoughts which drowned out his words. I saw what he was thinking. A ring of ghosts pushing The Source into the portal. So that was how it could be done. We could summon ghosts to help us.  
  
I patted Uncle Leo's arm and returned to the others. I told them what I'd seen. Prue didn't seem interested in the plan. "Ghosts are unpredictable. They don't have to do what they are told. How can we be sure they'll help us?" I had no answer to that one. But I knew the plan would work. I just knew it.  
  
Chris piped up with a surprisingly helpful addition to the plan. "What if we call ghosts of Halliwells. They're family. They'll help us." Prue nodded. She turned back to me. "Did you see how many ghosts we need?" I thought for a minute and closed my eyes to better see the vision I'd stolen from Uncle Leo. "I think I saw 5." Prue started to pace. "Ok, I know Grams will help and Melinda Warren. But the other three...." Wyatt broke in, "We'll call Mom and Auntie Phoebe. Then we just need one more." Prue shook her head. The Elder's won't allow you to call them." I jumped up. "Screw the Elders! We need them and we need a chance to say good-bye!" My passion inspired the others and we agreed. Whether or not the Elder's approved we'd call them. And we decided to call our grandmother Patty as the final ghost.  
  
Because we had to call the ghosts of the Halliwells, the only place we could use as the base for this plan was our home, The Manor. Which meant we'd have to summon them fast and tell them what to do quickly. The Source would be expecting us to show up there and would probably have is minions spying on the house. He would come for us himself as soon as he heard we were there.  
  
Our plan was ready. We just had to decide when. Wyatt, Chris, and I spent the rest of the day practicing setting up the candles and saying the summoning spell as fast as we could. Then we practiced our speech to the ghosts so we'd be able to say it all quickly without errors. Prue orbed to the Manor and found something from each person we were to summon to make sure we'd summon the right ghosts.  
  
At The Manor:  
  
We orbed into the Manor at sunset and got to work. The candles were set and the ghosts summoned. It took a lot of restraint on all of our parts to keep from forgetting the mission and holding on to our family. But we kept it all going. Chris explained the plan to the ghosts while Wyatt and I opened the portal. We finished just in time.  
  
The Source appeared in a blaze of fire. He was ready to kill us. We evaded his energy balls and lightening bolts until the ghosts managed to surround him and drive him into the waiting portal. He disappeared into the blackness and it closed behind him. We watched it all with utter amazement. It was so easy. Too easy. I doubted that The Source was really gone, but I kept my fears to myself.  
  
Wyatt, Chris, and I turned around to face our family. Mom and Auntie Piper were crying. Melinda Warren stepped forward. "You have done well." Then she disappeared. Then Grams stepped forward. "The Charmed Ones are re- born. I knew you were all destined for great things." She reached out and touched my shoulder. "Especially you my little Penny. My namesake. You keep them safe." I couldn't do anything but nod. Even as a ghost she was a great woman. Grams then too disappeared. The our Grandmother Patty stepped forward. "My grandchildren. You are all so beautiful. I'm sorry that I haven't met you before now. Be safe. I'll be watching over you." She disappeared too.  
  
We were alone in the attic of our home with the ghosts of our mothers. Wyatt and Chris went to the couch with Auntie Piper to say they're good- byes. I sat at the table with my mother. She held my hand. Even now I was in awe of her. The mighty Phoebe. Strong and steadfast. I felt that I'd never live up to her legacy. We were silent for a long time, neither of us knowing quite what to say. At last I spoke. "I don't want you to go." She looked deep into my eyes. "I have to sweetie, but I'll always be watching over you. You don't have to be afraid." I shook my head and my voice trembled as I struggled not to cry. "I'm not afraid. I just....miss you." She came around the table and knelt at my side. She took my face in her hands. "I miss you too Penny. I wish I could stay with you. But this was my destiny. And you have your own destiny now. Follow it. Believe in it. You will see me again. I'll always be part of your life."  
  
My resolve not to cry was broken. Tears slipped down my cheeks. "It's not good enough Mom. I want you here." She pulled me into her arms. "I know...I know..." She cried with me until we were both sobbing uncontrollably. Soon Auntie Piper and Chris and Wyatt were there surrounding us and crying with us. We became a weeping mess. Our big goup hug lasted so long it felt like it would never end.  
  
Then Auntie Piper pulled us apart. "We have to go now Phoebe." Mom let go of me and stood next to her sister. They began to fade. It happened so slowly it felt like my heart was being torn in two. Auntie Piper whispered, "Remember we love you." Just before they disappeared.  
  
Wyatt, Chris, and I stood there in the attic holding hands. We were The Charmed Ones. Our legacy was the same as our parents before us. We lost everything we loved because of magic. I really didn't know how we would go on. How could the Elder's expect us...children...to take on this much responsibility? Would we really have to fight evil everyday and protect innocents? Only time would tell.  
  
The End. 


End file.
